Hie Shrine

Hie Shrine sits on a low hill in Nagatacho, a short walk from the Diet building, and the way you climb it shapes the visit. From Sotobori-dori, the Sanno-bashi entrance has escalators running up beside the stairs, the easy way in. The other approach is the one in all the photos: a flight of stairs under a corridor of red torii leading to the Sanno Inari shrine. It gets busy with photographers, and the shrine asks that outdoor shoots not block the path or anyone praying. Ota Dokan brought the Sanno deity into Edo Castle in 1478, and the Tokugawa treated it as the castle's guardian. After the 1657 Meireki fire the shrine was rebuilt on this site, and in May 1945 air raids destroyed everything except the Sanno Inari shrine; the present main hall was dedicated in 1958. The gates open 6:00 to 17:00 and entry is free. A small treasure hall (9:00 to 16:00, closed Tuesdays and Fridays) holds 31 swords, among them the National Treasure tachi Norimune, displayed only in December and January and in June and July. In June the Sanno Matsuri takes over the neighborhood. In even-numbered years its procession of about 500 people in Heian court costume walks some 23 km through central Tokyo, past the Imperial Palace and Ginza.